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It\u2019s been looming for weeks, but now the end is near: Just a few hundred Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles remain unsold. Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed this week in a post on X that custom orders of the Model S sedan and Model X SUV are over. \u201cAll that\u2019s left are some in inventory,\u201d he wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n Musk first announced Tesla\u2019s plan to end Model S and Model X production back in January<\/a>. And the data helps explain why.<\/p>\n Sales of the Tesla Model X and Model S have fallen steadily over the years as the company\u2019s high volume and cheaper entries \u2014 the Model 3 and Model Y \u2014 took over. Tesla doesn\u2019t separate S and X sales, instead combining them under \u201cother models,\u201d a category that now includes the Cybertruck. And those combined figures show S and X sales peaking in 2017 at 101,312 vehicles before declining to 50,850 vehicles (including Cybertruck) in 2025 \u2014 a fraction of the 1.63 million vehicles it delivered globally last year.<\/p>\n In other words, their deaths were inevitable. What comes next is a bit more complicated.<\/p>\n Musk isn\u2019t filling the void left by the Model X and Model S with a traditional EV; he ditched plans to produce a lower-cost EV that was expected to be priced around $25,000.\u00a0Instead, Musk is placing his bets on the Optimus robot, which has yet to go into production, and the Cybercab<\/a>, an all-electric two-seater autonomous vehicle that was first shown as a concept<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n Tesla plans to build Optimus robots at its Fremont, California, factory once production of the Model S and Model X end, which could be any day now that final orders have been taken. Musk has said Tesla will begin producing the Cybercab this month at its factory in Austin, Texas.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Model S and X EVs have taken a backseat to the more affordable Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. But their debuts, and initial sales, marked two critical moments in Tesla\u2019s colorful and often volatile history. The Model S launched in 2012 as its first volume EV. Its popularity not only changed how consumers viewed EVs, it prompted legacy automakers \u2014 long dismissive of the value of electric vehicles \u2014 to take notice.<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco, CA<\/span> The Model X followed in fall 2015 and was famously described by Musk as the Faberg\u00e9 egg of EVs<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we got more carried away with the X,\u201d Musk said in a September 2015 press interview attended by this reporter just an hour before Tesla\u2019s Model X delivery event began. \u201cI\u2019m not sure anyone should make this car.\u201d<\/p>\n The Model X was often delayed, and initially criticized for its complexity. But it ultimately introduced the company to a new market: women. <\/p>\n The Model X raised Tesla\u2019s profile, and it set the company up for its next big move: an affordable mass-produced EV. The Model 3 had a difficult start, but it ended up catapulting Tesla into the mainstream. The Model Y clinched its status, helping Tesla widen the gap as the top-selling EV producer globally until China\u2019s BYD took over that top global EV sales spot in 2025 when it delivered 2.26 million EVs<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tesla continues to sell thousands of Model 3 and Model Y, but its growth has stalled<\/a>, and even reversed. The company reported in January that it sold 1.69 million vehicles in 2025, a decrease for the second year in a row. Its efforts to boost sales with cheaper, stripped-down versions of the Model 3 and Model Y that were introduced in October have had a modicum of success<\/a>, according to first-quarter 2026 figures that were reported April 2.<\/p>\n Tesla delivered 358,023 EVs globally in the first three months of the year, about 6% more than the same period in 2025, which also happened to be the company\u2019s worst quarter in years<\/a>. The figure was below analysts\u2019 expectations of around 368,000. <\/p>\n But never mind that. In Musk\u2019s view \u2014 one which he is well compensated for \u2014 Tesla isn\u2019t an automaker or a sustainable energy company, as he has described it before. Tesla is an AI company and his new gambit goes all in on that mission.<\/p>\n The Optimus robot is one part of the Tesla AI effort. But it\u2019s perhaps the Cybercab that best embodies, and exposes the risks of, the company\u2019s AI-first campaign.<\/p>\n The Cybercab was designed to be used as an autonomous vehicle without traditional controls like a steering wheel or pedals \u2014 meaning once it launches it will be without the initial backup of a human safety operator.<\/p>\n The first Cybercab rolled off the Tesla factory assembly line in February and is supposed to go into mass production this month. Although that date could slip, as so many have in Tesla\u2019s history. <\/p>\n Unlike Tesla\u2019s previous vehicles, the challenges aren\u2019t in its production (who can forget the production hell<\/a> of the Model 3). Instead, it faces a major regulatory hurdle before it can ever hit the road. Federal motor vehicle safety standards place requirements on vehicles such as having a steering wheel and pedals. There is no evidence that Tesla has applied for an exemption, according to publicly available files with the Federal Register and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. <\/p>\n The vehicles will also rely on Tesla\u2019s Full Self-Driving software to navigate public streets and safely shuttle passengers to their destination. Despite improvements to FSD and limited driverless robotaxi tests in Austin, Tesla has not yet demonstrated that its software can operate reliably at scale.<\/p>\n And that piece requires more than technical mastery. Robotaxi operations are also tricky. And in states like California, they also require permits to deploy and charge for rides in driverless vehicles.<\/p>\n Zoox, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Jeff Bezos\u2019 Amazon, may end up clearing a path for Tesla and its Cybercab. Zoox received an exemption<\/a> from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that allows the company to demonstrate its custom-built robotaxis, which lack pedals or a steering wheel, on public roads. Zoox is now going through a public process to have that exemption extended to commercial operations<\/a>.<\/p>\n Musk tried to sell shareholders on why the risk was worth it during the company\u2019s earnings call in January. <\/p>\n \u201cThe vast majority of miles traveled will be autonomous in the future,\u201d Musk said at the time, later noting that the Cybercab is super optimized for minimum cost per mile and also for a much higher-duty cycle. \u201cI would say probably less than, I\u2019m just guessing, but probably less than 5% of miles driven will be where somebody\u2019s actually driving the car themselves in the future, maybe as low as 1%.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nA look back<\/h2>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 13-15, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\nCybercab risks<\/h2>\n